Spain and Belgium will cross swords in the second quarterfinal of the 2024 Paris Olympics women's basketball event on Wednesday. It will be the sixth meeting between the two European nations on the international stage.
Spain dominated the group stage, winning all three matches to top Group A. On the flip side, Belgium finished third in Group C with a 1-2 record and sealed its place in the knockouts as one of the two best third-ranked teams.
Spain vs Belgium: Preview, Prediction and Odds
The Spain vs Belgium quarterfinal game is scheduled to take place on Aug. 7 (Wednesday) at the Bercy Arena in Paris. The tip-off is slated for 8:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. PT). The live streaming will be available on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com and Fubo. The game will not be telecast live on TV:
Moneyline: Spain (+200) vs Belgium (-240)
Spread: Spain (+5.5) vs Belgium (-5.5)
Total over/under: Spain (o136.5-110) vs Belgium (u136.5-110)
Editor's note: The odds could change closer to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of writing.
Spain vs Belgium: Preview
Spain ended the group stage with the fifth-best offense after averaging 74.3 points per game. While Spain shot exceedingly well from inside the arc (56.8%), the team struggled from 3-point range. The European country shot 23.2% from deep and finished the group stage as the worst-ranked team in this category.
Megan Gustafson and Leonor Rodriguez have been the two best players for Spain. Gustafson averages 17.0 points on 61.1% shooting from the field along with 10 rebounds and two blocks per game. Rodriguez is averaging 15.7 points on 43.6% shooting from the floor, including 33.3% from beyond the arc.
Their upcoming opponent Belgium boasts the joint second-best offense in the tournament and averages 76 points per game. The major reason behind Belgium's display on the offensive end has been Emma Meesseman, who leads all players in scoring by a huge margin.
The 31-year-old averages 26.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks. Meesseman is shooting 63.6% from the field.
Belgium's 3-point shooting hasn't been up to the mark though. The European country is shooting 27.5% from the beyond the arc.
Spain vs Belgium: Head-To-Head Record
Spain and Belgium have battled against each other on five occasions. Spain has won three games compared to Belgium's two. The two countries have never played against each other at the Olympics.
Spain vs Belgium: Predicted Starting 5s
Spain: Laura Gil, Leonor Rodriguez, Megan Gustafson, Maite Cazorla and Maria Conde.
Belgium: Ellise Ramette, Antonia Delaere, Emma Meesseman, Kyara Linskens and Julie Vanloo.
Spain vs Belgium: Prediction
The game between Spain and Belgium promises to be a humdinger. Nothing separates the two teams in terms of talent, but Spain has the momentum heading into the crunch knockout game.
Expect Megan Gustafson and Leonor Rodriguez to lead Spain to a nail-biting victory over Emma Meesseman and Belgium in the second quarterfinal.